Everyone Regrets It After My Death - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Jealousy

Li An returned to the coffee shop the following afternoon for his shift. He walked in looking absolutely radiant, a change so noticeable that even the store manager took note.

“Did you strike it rich? You’re smiling so wide.”

Li An waved a hand. “Far from it. I’m just in a good mood.”

Su Mingran also looked over, curious.

During the evening, when the foot traffic thinned out and they had a moment to rest, Su Mingran noticed that Li An had acquired a small new camera, which he had set up on the counter to film himself.

Su Mingran asked, “Are you filming?”

Li An nodded. “Someone suggested I film some lifestyle vlogs and post them online. If the videos go viral, I can make money through advertisements. I think it’s a great side hustle.”

Su Mingran didn’t know much about the industry but offered his support. “It’s good if you can earn money. But will the manager allow you to film while working?”

Li An whispered, “I bought the manager a little something. He said he’d look the other way.”

“That’s good then.”

Li An settled in to find the right angles, documenting his life as a part-time worker.

The day before, while on his way to work, Li An had been approached by a man claiming to be from a talent agency. The man said Li An had the “look of a star.” Fearing a scam, Li An initially ignored him, but the man then asked if he knew Liu Jiqing—noting that Liu was an artist groomed by their company.

Li An was familiar with Liu Jiqing; before his downfall, he was incredibly famous, and many girls in Li An’s class were fans. Seeing Li An waver, the man introduced himself as Mr. Wu and invited him to a nearby teahouse to chat.

Once seated, Li An checked the company’s credentials; it was indeed the agency Liu Jiqing had belonged to.

“You can just call me Xiao Wu; everyone does. I think you have a great aura. Because of the situation with Liu Jiqing, the company is short on talent. Would you like to join us and become the next Liu Jiqing?”

From high school through college, Li An had never even been approached by a girl. He had always considered his looks average, yet here was someone saying he had a “unique aura” and promising to make him a star. Flattered to the point of lightheadedness, he agreed.

Xiao Wu suggested he start by showing his face in short videos. Once the basic contract details were finalized, they would talk further. Xiao Wu then took him to the company for a tour. When he heard Li An didn’t have a camera, he took him to the warehouse to borrow one.

“Since you aren’t an official employee yet, there’s an 800-yuan deposit. Is that okay?”

“No—no problem! Thank you so much!”

Everything moved quickly and seemed very professional. Li An was convinced. Following Xiao Wu’s advice, he began filming vlogs.

He filmed for a month straight, editing and updating videos every night until his eyes were bloodshot. His view counts grew daily, but his follower count remained sluggish. He failed to meet the targets Xiao Wu had set for him and reported back apologetically.

Xiao Wu suggested he bring another person into the frame to add a “highlight” to the videos.

“I’ve looked at your data. It’s growing steadily, but the problem is a clear lack of an ‘attraction point.’ I’ve been to your coffee shop; the guy you work with is quite decent. Try bringing him into the shots and see the results.”

He was talking about Su Mingran.

Li An felt a surge of resistance. In the world of social media, the more handsome you are, the more fans you attract. Su Mingran was better-looking than him, and Li An feared his small following would be stolen away. He made a few excuses and managed to brush the suggestion aside.

A few days later, the views began to drop. Li An grew anxious, and Xiao Wu pressured him again. After several rounds of this, Li An finally relented.

The next day, Li An did not cut Su Mingran out of the footage, nor did he inform him. The video was posted, and Li An checked the results a few hours later.

The views, likes, and comments were all mediocre. Li An felt a sense of relief, thinking that Su Mingran wasn’t all that special after all. But when he checked again a few hours later, the video had exploded.

Li An froze. He clicked into the comments.

Where is my secretary?! You have one minute to tell me everything about the guy next to him!

Damn, he’s so hot. He looks so good in that coffee shop uniform!

OP, does the guy in the video have a Weibo account?

Everyone was talking about Su Mingran; no one even mentioned him. Checking the backend data, Li An realized someone had paid for traffic on the video. No wonder the heat was so high.

Li An’s emotions were a tangled mess. He comforted himself by thinking that a viral video meant higher income, which wasn’t a bad thing. Over the following days, his edits included glimpses of Su Mingran, but the comment section had become a shrine for Su Mingran’s fans.

Despite telling himself that the money from advertisements was good, his mindset began to warp. This was his account. He did the hard work of filming and editing. Why was everyone only mentioning the other person?

So what if Su Mingran was better-looking? Li An was the one the scout chose. Li An was the one about to sign a contract. Su Mingran was nothing.

Li An stared at his phone, watching his followers jump from a few thousand to tens of thousands, nearly breaking a hundred thousand. His internal anxiety skyrocketed, and his psyche completely fractured. He feared his manager, Xiao Wu, would realize Su Mingran was a better fit for the agency and that his own chance would vanish.

Frantic, Li An began to bite his nails. He couldn’t even focus on his work at the shop. He spent his shifts dreaming of his entertainment contract. Xiao Wu said the contract was still being revised; once it was ready, he’d quit and focus on his career as a star. His lack of focus led to friction with the store manager.

Soon, a message from Xiao Wu arrived.

Great job. The video results are excellent. Keep it up.

Li An: It’s all thanks to Manager Wu’s guidance.

Li An relaxed slightly, but his relief was short-lived as the next reply came in.

Since your traffic is so good, can your friend open an account too? It would make it easier to “ship” you as a CP (couple). CP marketing is the fastest way to drive traffic right now.

Li An’s heart sank. I don’t know if he’d want to. I think he’d probably refuse.

Is that so? But your solo traffic wasn’t great. Our idea is to use online buzz to build popularity; that makes breaking into the industry much easier. Your friend only needs to open an account for the marketing. He doesn’t have to post much—just a few simple trend-following videos. He can make a lot of money.

Li An chewed his thumb until it was a mess. He didn’t know how to respond. If Su Mingran opened an account now, what about the future? Would he replace Li An and sign with the company directly?

Forget it. I’ll go to the coffee shop this afternoon and talk to your friend myself.

Li An panicked completely. If he talked to Mingran, it would just be about opening an account. But if Xiao Wu talked to him, who knew what else might be discussed?

Li An: Don’t trouble yourself. I’ll tell him. You stay busy.

Fine.

Having staved off Xiao Wu, Li An approached Su Mingran with a stiff expression. “Why don’t you open an account with me? My vlogs are really popular. We can make money together.”

Su Mingran paused. “I don’t know how to do any of that.” It was a clear rejection.

“I’ll handle everything. You just need to be in the frame.”

Su Mingran was confused. “Wouldn’t that be a huge bother for you?”

Li An sneered internally. “I’ve realized filming together is much better than me filming alone. Just consider it a favor to me. I helped you out before, after all.”

Since Li An had helped him keep his job at the shop, Su Mingran took a deep breath and said, “Okay.”

Very soon, a video account under Su Mingran’s name was created.